I don't think that's the point is it Robert. You do need basic lit skills
in order to read the classics. There's no way round it. It's not that
midup kids know how to unnerstan Shakey it's that they are actually taught
to read and once you can read you can 'do' the classics. One hapless
external teacher at my Secondary Mod school decided to give us all a treat
by springing on us Midsummer Night's Dream She thought we'd enjoy it.
Bless her. I mean really bless her. She tried. She had to abandon by page
3 (or was it line 3) when she realised most of could barely string together
a Janet and John sentence.

So the real scandal and question to be asked is why can't these kids read so
they CAN do the classics. It's outrageous. It shouldn't be a question of
either/or it should be a question of what the hell is going on in our
schools that is still failing pupils like I was failed (not that it did me
any harm - eventually - but I did more or less teach myself to read after I
left that blessed dump that was suppose to educate me).

On another point although not entirely unrelated I was convinced Shakey was
incomprehensible when I saw filmed productions of the plays by RSC. I
couldn't understand a bloody word. So I read him and could undertand and
realised I couldn't understand what RSC were saying because all these
classical actors thought Shakey should be spoken in a ludicrously artificial
dramatic voice (all trying desperately to be the greatest Shakespearian
actor of their day - the silly buggers) with speech cadences that bore no
reality to how we speak and totally undermining the sense. Now a lot a
Shakespeare is dialogue which isn't written in Mongolian but if actors read
it as though it were it may as well be. So low grade schools and
glory-seeking actors have conspired against us all.

Finally and totally unrelated I've just heard the daftest argument ever why
Camilla shouldn't be queen: Camilla doesn't sound right! Not regal enough
like Elizabeth or Victoria. One has to hope William doesn't fall in love
and marry a Tracy. Actually it's not unrelated it just shows a country that
sometimes gets it priorities in the mother-of-all knicker-twists and you
just want to kick it in the pantaloons.

G.
With apologies to those who don't know who Shakespeare or Camilla are.








Geraldine Monk
www.westhousebooks.co.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hampson R" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 12:18 PM
Subject: Re: teaching the "classics"


Yes, what do working class kids need with Shakespeare and the classics.
Let them learn basic literacy skills, and leave Shakespeare and the
classics to the middle and upper classes who know how to understand them
any way.

Robert